Report of the Cultural Landscape Commission of the Polish Geographical Society (PTG) for years 2002-2009
Terms of office of the Board: 2002-2005 (three years), 2005-2009 (four years),
2009-2013 (four years)

Aims and objectives, board and members of the Cultural Landscape Commission of the PTG

The Cultural Landscape Commission of the PTG acts as a nationwide forum for exchanging research results, views, opinions and conclusions concerning protection and shaping of the cultural landscape in regional and comprehensive terms. Among other tasks, the Commission is responsible for initiating and conducting interdisciplinary research in the field of cultural landscape, hosting regular thematic conferences concerning the matters of shaping and protection of cultural landscapes, mutual inspiration and exchange on terminology, methods and directions of research, activities in the fields of opinion making, education and lobbying, as well as promotion and popularization.
The idea of establishing the Commission first arose during the I landscape seminary held at the Faculty of Earth Sciences of the University of Silesia on June 7, 2000. The Commission was activated on March 19, 2002 following the request of the initiative group at the spring meeting of the Board of the PTG. The founding meeting was held on May 10, 2002 at the Faculty of Earth Sciences of the University of Silesia in Sosnowiec, attended by 27 people from various academic centers and institutions in Poland. The attendants discussed the fundamental objectives, elected the management board and accepted the Commission's logo, and also worked out plans of major actions for the following three years.
The main objective that was set forth was organization of annual regional and theme conferences concerning the issues related to cultural landscapes. A decision was also made that a reviewed publication, titled Dissertations of the Cultural Landscape Commission, should be issued periodically. Participants also pointed to the need to organize readings, lectures, exhibitions and field trips, and the need for public participation in activities promoting harmonious development of the cultural landscape, as well as presenting opinions on negative influences on the landscape.

The Board members for the first term of Office were:

Urszula Myga-Piątek, PhD - Head (Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Silesia)

At present, the Commission has 52 active members. It brings together, under the Polish Geographical Society, individuals of various professions who deal with the quality of the landscape in their professional, academic or social activities.

Thus, the Commission is fully interdisciplinary. Members and supporters of the Commission include geographers, geologists, biologists, architects (including landscape architects), ethnologists, psychologists, environmental philosophers. These people work in various Polish academic centers, research institutes, as well as in local self-governments. This provides a wide range of possibilities of landscape interpretation, as well as application opportunities.

New Management Board of the Commission was appointed at the general reporting-elective meeting on May 13, 2005 in Sosnowiec.

The following became the Board members:

Urszula Myga-Piątek, PhD - Head (Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Silesia)

According to the adopted principles of functioning, one of the basic actions of the Commission is hosting periodic academic conferences. The range of these conferences is growing continuously  currently, these are international events with an increasing number of participants. The Commission has hosted nine and co-organized two academic conferences with guests from abroad. Before the Commission was established, two conferences were held, during which the concept was put forward to set up an organization within the Polish Geographical Society, which would bring together the interested parties in the mentioned Commission.

June 19 2001 - II seminar, titled "On unity and variety of the meaning of the landscape", with 45 participants.

After the Commission was officially established by the General Board, the following were organized:

September 26-27, 2002 in Sosnowiec - III seminar "Problems of development of cultural landscapes in Upper Silesia compared to experiences from other regions in Poland and Europe" brought together 50 participants.

October 23-24, 2003 in Sosnowiec - IV seminar "Water in the landscape" brought together almost a hundred participants, including guests from abroad for the first time. 57 participants took part.

June 5-6, 2004 in Cieszyn - V seminar organized jointly with the Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Science, titled "Space and culture", attended by 40 participants.

October 7-9, 2004 - Cieszyn and villages of the Żywiec Beskid Mts. were home to VI seminar "Carpathian landscapes". 65 people took part, including guests from abroad (Slovakia and Ukraine).

October 21-22, 2005 in Warsaw - the seminar titled "Borders and their role in cultural landscapes". The main co-organizing partner was the Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization of Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN) in Warsaw. The seminar was attended by 42 participants.

May 11-12, 2006 in Sosnowiec and other cities of the Upper-Silesian region (including Będzin and Zabrze) - VIII seminar titled "Industrial, postindustrial and post-exploitation landscapes", which enjoyed much popularity due to the current issues related to land reclamation and changes in space management.

May 26-29, 2007 - Chernivtsi, Ukraine, was home to IX seminar "River valley landscapes". For the first time, the seminar was bilateral: Polish-Ukrainian. The conference was attended by over 130 people from all Polish and many Ukrainian academic centers.

May 8-10, 2008 in Niepołomice - X seminar "Cultural landscape management and shaping proecological social attitude", co-organized by Institute of Landscape Architecture of Cracow University of Technology (121 participants, including 5 foreigners).

May 14-16, 2009 - Kamień Śląski hosted XI seminar "Landscapes of contemporary countryside - changes in spatial management"; the main host was the Institute of Landscape Architecture of the Agricultural University in Wrocław.

October 14-15, 2011 - Warsaw was home to XIII seminar "Cartographic materials in cultural landscape research" organized by Cultural Landscape Commission of the Polish Geographical Society and the Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization of PAN.

November 30, 2011 in Sosnowiec - XIV seminar "Cultural landscape of Japan". Prior and related to the seminar, an exhibition of photographs by Krystyna Pawłowska, with the same title, was organized between November 21 and December 9.

What is specific of landscape seminars is theme field tours. Their theme always illustrates and deepens the matters discussed during study conferences.

Cooperation with other organizations

The Commission cooperates on a regular basis with:

Polish Association for Landscape Ecology (PAEK)

A number of academic centers in Poland, particularly with Institute of Landscape Architecture of Cracow University of Technology, the Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization of PAN in Warsaw, and UMCS in Lublin.

A number of societies with statutory activities related to protection of cultural landscapes, e.g. "Moje Miasto", GIS FORUM - Zagreb.

Katowice Office of the Society of Polish Town Planners (TUP)

Local self-governments at the municipality level

Regional societies with similar statutory activities

Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society (PTTK)

The Commission also acts as the co-organizer of important international scientific events. Members of the Commission act as technical experts during conferences held by local authorities and societies.

So far, the Commission has co-organized several important conferences, including the following:

April 29 - seminar "Concepts of management of environmentally and culturally valuable land in Będzin " - organized jointly with Będzin City Council, the Faculty of Earth Science of the University of Silesia and Silesian Landscape Park Complex.

March 3-5, 2008 - International Scientific Conference "Methods of landscape research", held in Krynica. It was organized jointly with the Polish Association for Landscape Ecology.

May 8-10, 2008 - International Scientific Conference "Cultural landscape management and shaping proecological social attitude", organized jointly with Institute of Landscape Architecture of Cracow University of Technology

The Commission also took part in organization of cartographic and photographic exhibitions, including:

Crimea in the lens; September 26-30, 2002

International exposition of old maps held for GIS SILESIA 2003

Conference in Mieroszewski Palace in Będzin on September 22-26, 2003

International cartographic exposition of old maps in Trogir on September 4-11, 2004

Following the resolution adopted at the first general meeting, the Commission releases a periodic publication titled Dissertations of Cultural Landscape Commission. Fifteen volumes have come out so far. At the request of the Board, the publication was granted the status of a periodical in 2005 and was given the ISSN number from the National Library - 1896-1460. The Academic Council of Dissertations of the Commission consists of the following members: Viacheslav Andreichuk, Andrzej T. Jankowski, Urszula Myga-Piątek, Krystyna Pawłowska, Joanna Plit, Maria Z. Pulinowa, Krzysztof H. Wojciechowski.

No 1 (2002) - "Upper Silesia - problems of preservation and modeling of cultural landscape at the background of experiments of other regions" (Ed. A.T. Jankowski, U. Myga-Piątek, G. Jankowski) is a collection of 23 articles by representatives of several fields. The issues of preservation of anthropogenic landscapes were presented in the wider context of physiognomy of environmental-cultural space of the whole Silesian Province and, in the further part, compared to several regions of Poland (mainly Masovia, Lublin region, and north-eastern Poland). The volume also contains articles which are theoretical dissertations, and these are the introduction to the regional approach of the volume.

No 2 (2003) - "Water in natural and cultural space" (Ed. U. Myga-Piątek) The book is a collection of research papers and theoretical dissertations regarding the role of water in natural and cultural space, presented using the methods of hydrologists, geomorphologists, economic geographers, cultural geographers, urban planners, architects, urban developers, ecologists, ethnologists, a philosopher, a linguist and an artist. What inspired the authors of this volume was more and more clearly noticeable common research field of several neighboring sciences. Water management in the physical space is an issue in the scope of interest for geography, but also more and more often for urban planning and architecture. It also draws attention among anthropologists of culture, sociologists and ethnologists. In this volume, water is analyzed as the basic element of the geographic environment, which can be described using precise methods, frequently aided by the latest computer software; as a component of the geographic environment, highly transformed as the result of anthropogenic processes; as a component of space determining the location for founding cities and ways of land use; as the transportation carrier and energy source  used for the needs crafts and industries. Simultaneously, the book also includes the view on water as an element of the spatial (urban and park-garden) composition; as the environment for the fishing industry as well as the defensive and border zone. Another approach is the look on water as part of the symbolic space  an element of folk material and spirituals culture, and also as the philosophical and linguistic criterion. The volume concludes with the artistic approach  water as the artistic theme for painters and writers. The subject matter of the volume was related to the celebrations of International Year of Freshwater.

No 3 (2004) - "Cultural landscape of the Carpathians - selected aspects" (Ed. U. Myga-Piątek) is a collection of articles related to cultural landscapes of the Carpathians. The articles were written as a result of research carried out by the authors in the area of the mountain range. Like in case of the previous two volumes, this one includes papers by geographers, architects, ethnologists and, additionally, foresters. The book is a collection of the authors' thoughts on evolution of the cultural landscape of the Carpathians. The authors address many contemporary socio-economic processes occurring in the area of the Carpathians, like: rapid growth of tourism, consequences of numerous economic investments (residential, hydrotechnical and transportation infrastructure), ceased use of pastureland, development of transport. The volume emphasizes the need for integrated protection as well as aware and responsible development of landscape.

No 4 (2005)- "Cultural landscape: theoretical and methodological aspects" (Ed. U. Myga-Piątek) includes theoretical discussions on the landscape as the complex reflection of natural phenomena and processes related to human activities. The articles included in the volume emphasize the fact that the landscape is not only a physiognomic property of a place, but first of all makes up an integrated system, whose natural-cultural structure evolves with time, and consequently, its functions also change. Moreover, cultural landscape is the form and source of some meaning contents, the hidden sense of a place. Using appropriate complementary methods of interpretation, cultural landscape provides full information regarding the origins and evolution of physical space. The book deals with multiplicity of scientific approaches. It is a response to high interest of Polish geographers in the subject matter of cultural landscape and is a continuation of the matters included in the publication "Cultural landscape - ideas, problems, challenges" released in 2000 as a yearly book of the Cultural Landscape Commission of PTG, with no issue number yet at that time.

No 5 (2006)- "Cultural landscapes boundaries" (Ed. J. Plit). Representatives of various sciences, including geographers of various specializations, psychologists, landscape architects and theologians, were invited to consider the matters of boundaries in cultural landscapes. The volume consists of dissertations on three main topics: it asks questions about boundaries, landscape (expressing at the same time geographers' great dream: holism, which we try to grasp using empiric methods, preferably analytical ones), and culture - asking what actually distinguished the man from other creatures. The volume does not give answers to any of the questions. The research by the interdisciplinary team is a tedious, fragmentary search for answers, which bring us closer to the essence of the problem.

No 6 (2007)- "Industrial and post-exploitation landscapes" (Ed. U. Myga-Piątek) brings closer some aspects related to reclamation and revitalization of areas excluded from industrial use. It discusses the rate of transformation of the natural environment and possible directions of its reclamation, and shows mechanisms of effective protection of areas of natural and cultural value. Texts by geographers, geologists, biologists, architects and economists, included in the book, show environmental, legal, social, financial and mental difficulties which we currently face in the process of restoration of values of the natural environment and cultural landscape. The authors particularly emphasize the hitherto underestimated fact that than industrial and post-exploitation regions might be perceived as areas of high cultural and functional value, which enhance geodiversity of the environment and document the economic past of regions. The book also discusses the need for landscape shaping, understood as the process of planned and organized actions aimed at harmonious arrangement and protection of space.

No 7 (2007)- "River valleys: nature-landscape-human" (Ed. U. Myga-Piątek). The book addresses the issue of diversity of river valley landscapes, both natural and transformed by man. The problem is discusses by specialists in many fields. The book combines the strictly environmental approach with humanist, and even technical, aspects. It comprises the issues related to geography and ecology of landscape and geoecology of river valleys. The volume presents results of paleogeographic and archeological studies of river valleys. It also contains a chapter related to architecture, management and anthropopressure of river valleys. The book concludes with the chapter dealing with current issues of tourism and tourism-induced changes in the very susceptible environment of river valleys.

No 8 (2008)- "Methods of landscape research" - published in English (Ed. Viacheslav Andreichuk, Joanna Plit).
We would like to offer the reader another book concerning methodological aspects of cultural landscape research. Rather than review all most important or most commonly used research procedures in a handbook-like manner, our aim is to present achievements and methodology of research of various sciences dealing with landscape. This book is intended to compare different schools of landscape research in geography and related sciences. The goal was to review the leading research trends and "philosophies" in landscape studies.

No 9 (2008)- "Methodology of landscape research" - published in English (Ed. Viacheslav Andreichuk).
The geographic environment, along with landscapes that build it up, is the space for human life and activities. Ever since the beginning, man has been connected with the environment and depended on it in many aspects. These aspects are the subject of research of geography. This is the source of great significance of geographic and landscape research for man. At present, the situation is even more sharpened by a wide range of environmental problems, provoked mainly by human activities. This is why methodological geographic studies have essential meaning in the current situation, as they make it possible for landscape studies to find their place in these conditions and for man to find own place in landscape.

No 10 (2008)- "Cultural landscape management". Starting from his volume, Dissertations have the appointed Editor-in-chief (Joanna Plit) and Editors Secretary (Urszula Myga-Piątek) as well as permanent Editorial Board. Scientific Editors for volume 10: Urszula Myga-Piątek and Krystyna Pawłowska. Articles of this volume are put into six chapters. They relate to various types of cultural landscapes (Urban landscapes, Rural and open landscapes, Fortified and post-military landscapes), multiple actions they are subjected to (Protected landscapes, Revitalization of landscape) and social aspects of that issue (Social education and participation). Authors come from different academic centers and institutions of practical actions in Poland as well as in Osaka City University in Japan, University of Salzburg in Austria and Ministry of Culture of Croatia.

No 11 (2008) - "Sound in Cultural landscape" (Ed. Sebastian Bernat) deals with the new notion, popularized by the Cultural Landscape Commission of PTG since it was founded - "audial landscape". In its common meaning, sound is every audial impression recognized by man. As the subject matter of many sciences, including acoustics, cultural anthropology, landscape architecture, ethnology, aesthetics, goegraphy, medicine, musicology, psychology, sociology, and urban planning, sound is defined in many different ways. Researchers who describe sound-related phenomena in the landscape use various notions, like phonosphere, audiosphere, melosphere, sonosphere, audial landscape, audial space, acoustic space, phonic space, audial layer of the landscape, acoustic climate. New notions are often considered redundant ("scientists' whim"); however, after being used multiple times, they become accepted. The audial landscape, in which every human being functions, is shaped by sounds belonging to various categories: natural sounds, audible side effects of human activities (e.g. the noise of technical equipment in operation), sounds made as a result of man's artistic activities (e.g. music), sounds being semiotic entities, i.e. carrying meaningful contents (e.g. the sound of an ambulance) and sound of human speech. "Diving in the world of sounds", we are shaped by his world and at the same time we influence it. We cannot get separated from the sound, which integral with space and time.

No 12 (2009) - "Polish rural landscapes former and contemporary" (Ed. Zbigniew Kuriata) deals with economic and social changes occurring in our country in recent years, which have impact on the way of management of rural areas and perception of these regions as a value which should be particularly protected. In the past, the basic functions of the countryside were related to agriculture, which shaped its space and methods of management, determined the architecture of each village and individual building lots. The rhythm of life was determined by farming chores, which were closely related to seasons and nature.
At present, the historically shaped cultural space is affected by intensive architecture, which has nothing in common with the rural landscape - single-family housing or sometimes urban-style multi-family housing. New housing estates have standard, often catalogue-copied, architecture with no individual signs related to the regional style or a particular style of a given village. Intensive housing growing at outskirts of villages overwhelms them and becomes an aggressive element of the landscape.

Nr 13 (2010) - "Cultural landscapes of rivers valleys. Potential and actual use" (Ed. Joanna Plit). For the third time, the book of Dissertations of Cultural Landscape Commission deal with hydrogenic landscapes and their role in the cultural landscape. Volume 2 focused on "Water in natural and cultural space", Volume 7 analyzed "River valleys" in environmental, landscape and socio-cultural aspects, whereas Volume 13 deals with cultural landscapes of rivers valleys - their potential and possible use.

Nr 14 (2010) - "Landscape and tourism" (Ed. Viacheslav Andreichuk). The new 14th volume of Dissertations of Cultural Landscape Commission consists of 27 articles. The papers are grouped in four chapters. They deal with theoretical aspects of the relation "landscape-tourism", scenic tourist values of selected regions of Poland and the world, and architectonic approach to matters related to tourism and landscapes. The abundance and variety of issues related to tourism and landscapes go much further than those addressed in this book; however, I believe that the ones included in the volume will show main directions of development for concepts for the border of two fields of human knowledge and activity; the landscape and tourism.

No 15 (2011) - "Intangible values of cultural landscapes" (Ed. Sebastian Bernat). The publication goes along with Poland's actions timing at ratification of the "Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage". It's aim is to emphasize intangible values of cultural landscapes and to raise a discussion on possible ways to protect them successfully and use them in revitalization and tourist promotion. This volume of Dissertations of Cultural Landscape Commission of PTG is characterized by a variety of scientific approaches resulting from the interdisciplinary nature of the subject matter. The dissertations written by professionals (landscape architects, philosophers, geographers, historians, musicologists, sociologists and urban planners) representing a number of scientific centers (Banska Bystrica, Gdańsk, Katowice, Cracow, Lublin, Łódź, Olsztyn, Poznań, Sosnowiec, Szczecin, Toruń, Warsaw, Wrocław) discuss the following topics: sacrum in the landscape, perception of landscapes, sound in the landscape, history and politics in the landscape, social relations in landscape revitalization, landscapes of memory, toponyms, genius loci in tourist promotion.

Consultative, educational, promotional and popularizing activities

The Statute of the Commission also includes consultative, educational, lobbying, promotional and popularizing activities. Therefore, the Commission members are also involved in organizing lectures and readings which are supposed to popularize the subject matter. During these meetings, attempts are often made to integrate scientific circles, local governments and representatives of companies and organizations active in the field of practical actions for the landscape. A particularly valuable experience was the meeting with Wojciech Czech, Governor of the Silesian Province in 1990-1994, who gave a lecture on "Landscape as a common good." The presentation gave an occasion to discuss the responsibility of man acting in geographic space and the possibility and need for an extensive look at the issues of landscape conservation involving many scientific and practical fields.
The Commission is also the forum for presenting research results from interesting regions of the world or theoretical lectures to recall representatives of the so-called landscape approach in geography. Introductory lectures before the spring and autumn meetings of the Commission have already become a tradition.

2008:

April 14, 2008 at the Institute of Landscape Architecture, Cracow University of Technology. The meeting was held to sum up the international conference in Krynica and discuss the stage of preparations for the May conference in Niepołomice

December 19, 2008 in Cracow - discussion and summary of the activities and plans for 2009 (conferences in Krynica, Niepołomice and Lublin), as well as participation in regional project for improving the quality of landscape (revitalization project for the Czarna Przemsza river - "The Common River" - continued joint activities, as well as cooperation in hosting I Forum for Reconstruction of Historic Objects in Będzin

Major initiatives of pragmatic nature include the protest of the Commission members, addressed to the Marshall of the Silesian Province, regarding the inconsiderate catchment irrigation and regulation of rivers of the Silesian region, especially the Pilica, and the statement on the protection of historic objects of postindustrial architecture, which, apart from being tangible heritage, also serves symbolic and identity functions in Upper Silesia, which are very important for the residents of the region.. The members protested against investments in the areas adjacent to the Ojców National Park (housing estate in Cianowice). They also gave a consultative opinion against deforestation of the hilltop of St. Dorothy monadnock hill in Będzin. Moreover, the Commission took the patronage over postgraduate studies 'Landscape Shaping and Protection", started in February 2004 at the Faculty of Earth Sciences of the University of Silesia in Sosnowiec.

Educational and popularizing activities include organization of numerous field tours. So far, these have been:

27-29.05.2007 - Landscapes of river valleys: valleys of the Ukrainian Carpathians, Podolia and Bessarabia.

March 10, 2008 Landscapes of the Lower Beskid Mts.

What is more, members of the Commission take part in strictly scientific activities. These include e.g. submission, in January 2007, of the competition application for a team grant, titled "Cultural landscapes of Poland - natural-cultural study as the foundation for planning the sustainable development and preservation of the national heritage", or participation of the Commission in the international project titled "Landscape and Leisure".

2009:

May 14-16, 2009; the landscape seminar "Landscapes of the contemporary countryside - changes in space management of agricultural areas" was held at the Conference Center in Kamień Śląski.

The discussed matters included:

- Tradition of the place - distinctive elements and how to preserve them,
- Searching for the new quality of life - good and bad neighborhood,
- Agricultural space management - theory and practice.

Popularizing and promotional activities included contacts with municipalities and societies:

KKK PTG coordinates the activities within the trans-municipality program "The Common River"

Cooperation with regional societies, e.g. "Moje Miasto" as an initiative of the Forum for Reconstruction of Historical Objects